Rosemary Potato Olive Oil Bread

I tried a new recipe at dinnertime last night. For some reason this sounded really good- Rosemary Potato Olive Oil Bread. I've never had it before, but I was pretty sure it would be good! I searched Google and found this recipe here- it's a blog written by someone named Megan.

(Side note- here's my cutie Megan wearing an apron I just made her. She'll be 3 next week!)


Anyway, this bread wasn't hard to make, and it turned out great! All five of us devoured it! I'm going to write the recipe exactly as I made it, but you can also look at the post I found it from, or this site (the original source for the recipe) for more explanation.

*I just made it again, and found two things to add. One is the time it takes to make this- not counting the time to make the mashed potato, it takes 2 1/2 hours start to finish. Plus, you would need to add about 1/2 hour of cooling time. I thought I started this early enough in the afternoon, but it ended up being ready a little too late for dinner. So for me, I'd want to start it around 2:30 to have ready for dinner at 5:30.

Also, I found that it is still good the next day. I didn't mean to do this, but I baked it on Friday and we ate it for dinner on Saturday. After it cooled, I stored it in a paper bag (I'm sure plastic would be fine too). Then when I wanted to eat it the next day, I heated in on the oven rack at 300 degrees for maybe 10 minutes. It tasted exactly like it did the first time! I didn't mean to do it that way, but it's good to know! :) The leftovers also make great toast!

Mashed potato & olive oil mixture







Rosemary Potato Olive Oil Bread
Printable version here

1/2 cup mashed up potato
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
2/3 cup wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/8 tsp. instant dry yeast (half a package)
1 tsp. dried rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup potato water (or regular water), warm

1. In a small bowl, mix together the potatoes and olive oil until smooth. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), combine all dry ingredients. Next add the potato mixture and the warm water; stir. Knead on speed 2 (or by hand) for 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, adding small amounts of water or flour if needed to form a soft dough (mine didn't need any extra).

3. Place dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a dishtowel. Let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. (I turn my oven on for a minute or two while the dough is kneading, then I have a slightly warm place for the dough to rise in.)

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Form into a ball, pulling the dough to the underside of the ball to help form a smooth top. Pinch the dough closed on the bottom. Place the dough on a lightly greased baking sheet & sprinkle lightly with flour. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

5. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400º. If the dough was in a bowl, flip it right-side up on the baking sheet, greased or lined with parchment. Using a sharp knife, make 3-4 diagonal slits in the bread to make a criss-cross pattern (or two slits to make an X). Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool (at least slightly) before slicing.

Yield: One medium loaf

• For the potato, I used one Yukon gold. I peeled & cubed it, and cooked it in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover it. Once it was soft, I drained it, saving the liquid. Then I mashed the potato until it was completely smooth.
• You could use all white flour, I just chose to use part white/part wheat.
• Feel free to use fresh rosemary if you have it.
• You can also double the ingredients to make a larger loaf. When I did that, I made it in a rounded rectangular shape with 3 X's on top.
  

Why I love it? It is so soft and flavorful! It smells amazing, too! It would be a perfect accompaniment to just about any meal.